latest tire preferences

[jalexanderson]

Haven't posted for a long time. Still running strong at 158k (with leaky valve and valley pan gaskets). I need your thoughts on a couple things tire and wheel related. I need a used or reconditioned style 66 rear wheel as I just gouged the crap out of it on a granite curb. I have a call into Rim and Wheel works here in MA. Also what are you guys liking for tires these days on the original 540i staggered wheels? Seems they no longer make the Goodyear Eagle F1s in those sizes? I really liked those. Thx Jon A.

[edjack]

top-rated high-performance summer tire in the latest Consumer Reports. I replaced my GSD3s with them, and am quite satisfied, except that they are built to load range 97, rather than 94, and ride rougher than the GSD3s, but are quiet at speed.

You'll need to adjust the tire pressure downward for these 97-rated tires.
Ed in San Jose. BMW CCA member since 1987 (Nr. 62319). Golden Gate Chapter. '97 540i 6 speed. Build Date 3/97. Aspensilber over Aubergine leather.

[540sport]

I've had them for a year and about 7k miles and they grip great, wet or dry and have been quiet. The turn in bite is better than the Goodyears, which I loved. I got them at Town Faire tire in Salem for about 2/3's the cost of the GSD3's.

Check craigslist for a style 66, I saw a set of Style 19's on there this weekend. You could also take your chances with ebay.
Vin
98 540 Sport with everything & extra hots
BMW CCA, Boston Chapter
"The 540 is the head-case supermodel girlfriend..." Eric S.
"The worst thing you could do with your money is save it." ~ Jackie Gleason
If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. Mario Andretti
The United States is a nation of laws: poorly written and randomly enforced. - Frank Zappa

[Panos]

[Craig in Canada]

I also had a set of T1-S and T1R. I'm running PS2s now.

The PS2s are "lighter" and more "transparent" in the dry but the T1Rs were almost as good, cheaper, and definitely better in the wet.

The T1Rs still had a fair bit of meat on them but what starting happening is that the insides started wearing to the boundary of a different kind of compound from the time spend on the rear. I get alignments regularly and I didn't consider the wear particularly abnormal, just a bit faster on the inside. If I remember the details correctly, on my particular set of four on the "left edges" (they're directional) had a bit of a wandering boundary between these compounds and it started to wear unevenly following this boundary. They were starting to get noisy (wowowowowowowow) and I was worried about running another summer on them and having something go boom.

I no longer rotate tires - I've posted before about why I started following BMWs advice inspired by Eurodavid and personal observation - but used to rotate this set so all of them had spent time on the rear and had this wear pattern. If I had not rotated I probably would have purchased two only and kept motoring. If my set also didn't have this wandering boundary layer I probably wouldn't have noticed anything either. They were nowhere near worn to the belts or anything.

[Whorse]

Andreas
Queens NY
BMWCCA# 186796
86 325es (wrecked by careless driver)
87 325 (project for life)
00 540is 6spd (daily driver)

[Whorse]

Andreas
Queens NY
BMWCCA# 186796
86 325es (wrecked by careless driver)
87 325 (project for life)
00 540is 6spd (daily driver)

[Eurodavid]

e39 Roadfly Impromptu Tire Survey

Eurodavid

[540ismenow]

Hey Jon - I recently got into an 03 530i - looking for a non-dealer mechanic South of Boston - any ideas?

[CenTex]

The F1s are better.

[mike 8162]

[fritracer]

11,000 miles, still very quiet, great handling, wet or dry. I have noticed tramling recently; no loose suspension parts. There is noticable negative camber wear starting to show now. Is there anyway to put more positive camber into the suspension front and rear to stop this? My 1998 528i did not wear tire like this.Fritracer
Cincinnati, OH
2000 540ia Sport Package 9/99 Silver/ Black
img=168887[/IMG]

[Nelson.....]

2000 540i Sport in Houston, TX

[jalexanderson]

Russ Erickson
Certified Foreign Repair
9 Lake Shore Dr, Duxbury, MA 02332, (781) 585-8739.

$75/hr.

Porsche Audi dealer experience

[edjack]

540 Sport suspension is lowered almost an inch from stock, and the camber setting is more negative. If you muck about with the settings, you'll lose some handling. Not worth it IMHO.

You can fit adjustable camber plates to the front strut mount (which allows for a camber adjustment), and have a reputable alignment shop dial out the camber in the rear.

Or, get same size wheels for front and rear, and rotate the tires every 5k. That's what I do.
Ed in San Jose. BMW CCA member since 1987 (Nr. 62319). Golden Gate Chapter. '97 540i 6 speed. Build Date 3/97. Aspensilber over Aubergine leather.

[edjack]

tires with those that have been mentioned in this post. Read owner's reviews, as well as Tire Rack tests: they have their own test track.
Ed in San Jose. BMW CCA member since 1987 (Nr. 62319). Golden Gate Chapter. '97 540i 6 speed. Build Date 3/97. Aspensilber over Aubergine leather.

[Bimmer5Michael]

35,000 miles and still very quiet and are still above the wear bars.

I removed as much of the Negative camber from the rear as I could and it has paid off in much better tire wear and I can tell no difference in handling.Michael - Chattanooga Tennessee
BMWCCA 65795

00 540 Sport / 6 speed, SaharaBeige Metallic / SamanaBeige II Montanna Leather, 35% tint, Xenons, DSP, CD Changer, Auto dimming rear view mirror, rain sensing wipers, fold down rear seat, Style 32 staggard wheels, Hankook Ventus V4 ES 245/45/WR17/95W Fronts and 275/40/WR17/98W Rears. 152,900 Smiles and climbing!

08 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 C Anniversary Edition Number 0064/3200 Copper and Vivid Black (FOR SALE)
16,800 miles

2006 GMC Sierra SLT all options

1988 GMC Safari 400,000 miles plus and still going

Other BMWs hanging around usually needing attention
06 E90 330i sport pkg +all options
98 E36 328i 5 speed Sport/Premium PKG
00 e46 323ia Premium Pkg
04 X3 sport/premium 3.0 six speed (back again)

[JimLev]

I driven on Lake Shore Drive may times, that's all residential housing, must be doing the work at his house, not that there's anything wrong with that. Done the same thing in my driveway and garage.

[fritracer]

trade out some slight handling for better tire wear. At the rate of wear on the tires from the negative camber, I might get 25k miles total out the tires; not acceptable to me.
So the rear can be adjusted out without buying part? I have seen the camber plates online at the various BMW site. I will look into these as money allows.Fritracer
Cincinnati, OH
2000 540ia Sport Package 9/99 Silver/ Black
img=168887[/IMG]

[fritracer]

camber plates for the struts? If so, any problems?Fritracer
Cincinnati, OH
2000 540ia Sport Package 9/99 Silver/ Black
img=168887[/IMG]